Peugeot 508 2.2HDi GT - talk to me...

[Welly]

The other day I saw a 508 and thought how good it looked amongst all the usual euro-boxes out there.

Naturally I went on Autotrader for a nosey.

Spotted a 2012 508 2.2HDi GT with all the trimmings on the right side of £5K, but with high miles (150K).

What's the deal with the newer 2.2's? are they basically like the old 406's or are they a EURO 5 nightmare?

This one may* have been a slushmatic too, not sure what the deal is there either but hoping they progressed a bit better than the AL4 by 2012...

Book spec is 200bhp which'll be in keeping for me, I mean my friend, who might be asking.

[Doggy]

I agree the 508 especially in SW (estate) form is in my opinion one of the least hideous relatively modern cars out there.
Trouble is the 2.2 will be Euro 5 and only comes with slushmatic transmission*.
Worse still, they only make poverty spec and mid-range versions of the estate.

Niche marketing / commercial suicide*

(Delete as appropriate)

[trufflehunt]

Like so many of recent Peugeots, looks to me styling-wise over heavy and unsubtle.
Or as a quick internet search to find someone putting it better than me, a comment on Honest John..
"... imposing rather than elegant..."

[Welly]

I R DISAPPOINT

Another 'modern' car being unfeasible to own because: emissions and oddly specified.

Are used Dizzler values slipping now because: OMGDIESEL and what the gubbermint said? I've noticed Volvo S40 dizzlers are very cheap now, like £1,500.00 for a 2007 car.

Family member just changed his Shitrun DS3 dizzler for a pez model because: "big cities emissions charging" and "taxation" FFS it was a EURO5 dizzle mass panic ensues....

[steve_earwig]

And they go wrong much more often and expensively. Modern diesels - days numbered I reckon.

[mjb]

My take, having seen the wife go from "I'd never drive anything but a diesel" to "Why would anyone want a diesel", is this:

First, the noise. Petrols are a lot quieter and transmit less vibration to the passengers through the seats. Even the best in terms of engine and/or cabin soundproofing, like Toyota's, still chug. And they stink. No other way of putting it: diesel fumes are nasty. This is why cities are starting to make pollution charges for diesel vehicles. Who wants to have to faff about and pay that? Isn't Copenhagen or somewhere outright banning them next year?

Then there's the money. The big thing about diesels used to be that they were considerably cheaper to run because you were talking 40+mpg in a diesel vs 20-odd in a petrol, and up til about 2003, both fuels cost the same price. Nowadays, you're talking more like 45mpg in a petrol vs 50mpg in a diesel (10% difference) versus a difference at the pump of perhaps 10-15%. So that's out the window,not that saving £100/yr in fuel ever stopped people from spending £3000 extra on a "cheaper to run" diesel model they'd be ditching after 3 years anyway...

Reliability? The days of rock solid normally-aspirated diesels is over. Now everything is turbocharged and subject to emissions controls. For diesels, that means particulate filters which absolutely will get clobbered and need replacing. Especially if you never drive long journeys. A short daily commute can see a diesel triggering limp-home from a clogged filter in well under a year. Nearly everyone knows this now, and they know how costly it can be. The new MOT changes publicising this further are going to well and truly put the nail in the used diesel market's coffin - and crashing resale values will strongly affect new sales as they'll increase the lease/finance/whatever cost for diesels.

So what's diesel got left going for it? It might be cheaper if you do over 50,000 miles a year if the price stops going up?

[mjb]

This one may* have been a slushmatic too, not sure what the deal is there either but hoping they progressed a bit better than the AL4 by 2012...

A couple of years ago I had the misfortune to drive an A4 (brand new, delivery miles only) hire car with an auto box. I hated it. No, I loathed it. Stupid goddamn thing was slow, dimwitted, and absolutely did not want to respond to my inputs at all, even in "manual" mode. Sometimes I'd try to get it to drop a cog, but it would actually shift UP, as that's more economical or something... ARGH. I still get wound up just thinking about it.

Even my AMG, with it's performance-oriented box, is slow and a bit dimwitted, especially in comfort mode. At least that thing's got the engine to prevent me from going all Basil Fawlty on it, unlike that bloody Audi.


I've heard DSG boxes are the biz though...

[piglet]

Enough Audi & Diesel bashing, I just got one last week!
I bought a pre-DPF 56 plate 3.0Tdi A4 Quattro with paddle slush.
I specifically wanted a Big Diesel/auto box config which narrowed it down quite a lot. I looked at the 2.7Hdi 407, but no.
Anyway the A4 is stunning to drive with the auto, stacks of torque smoothly handled with fingertip control if I want to intervene.
The paddle is good for setting up to overtake or if you want to arrive at a roundabout in the right gear, but the auto is actually pretty good.

Hopefully the government will allow me to drive it for as many years as I can get out of the chassis.

[Welly]

Nicely purchased, I'll start sending you some diesel tokens

Daren't ask about the cambelt and aux belt

[piglet]

Chain. When that snaps it's time for a new car!

[Welly]

I don't get all the hype about cam chains, there's LOADS of cases where chains stretch or the tensioning mechanism shits itself and the chain stretches or skips teeth (Nissan, PSA, BMW etc.) in my view they are not a benefit as a second hand owner but a liability unless you want to bite the bullet and replace it at MUCH greater cost than a simple cambelt.

I totally get your choice of large diesel engine and autobox, I think I could listen to a multi-cylinder diesel idling all day long

[trufflehunt]

I don't get all the hype about cam chains, there's LOADS of cases where chains stretch

Quite.

I once owned this....

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23771156@ ... otostream/

I took it to an independent specialist to change the timing chain. The bill was eye-watering.
At which point I decided that running a Jaguar was out of my then earnings league.

[piglet]

Ford switched from chain to wetbelt in oil on the 1.8 Lynx engine.
Damned things have been blowing up ever since. (according to internet mythology anyway)

[Welly]

Bring back push rods!

[Doggy]

Bring back push rods!

They still haz timing chainz.
(Seem to remember ignoring the rattle caused by a worn-out tensioner on a BMC B series engine, eventually the chain wore a hole through the timing cover).